Regularise stipend, end disparity! Maharashtra Resident doctors threaten statewide protest
Mumbai: The senior resident doctors in Maharashtra have sought the Government's intervention for the regularisation of stipend payments, abolition of stipend disparity across BMC and DMER institutes, and framing official leave guidelines for senior residents.
Writing to the Director of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), the doctors under the Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctor Association (MSRDA), which represents more than 5,000 doctors, have threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if their concerns are not addressed urgently.
"We write to you on behalf of the Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctor Association (MSRDA), a representative body of 5000 senior resident doctors in the state, with extreme anguish, frustration, and disbelief at the persistent neglect and apathy shown by DMER and the Government of Maharashtra towards the senior resident doctors—the very backbone of the state’s public healthcare and medical education system," the association mentioned in the letter addressed to the Director of DMER, Maharashtra.
In the letter, the doctors highlighted irregular and delayed stipend disbursement, stipend disparity at BMC peripheral hospitals, and an absence of a leave policy, resulting in the mental health collapse for the resident doctors.
The association pointed out that despite repeated reminders and representations, the senior doctors get their stipends late. The stipend payments continue to be delayed up to 3 months across most government medical colleges in Maharashtra, claimed MSRDA.
For instance, the doctors highlighted in the letter that at Grant Government Medical College, Mumbai, GMC Ambernath and GMC Chandrapur, the senior residents have not received stipends since May 2025. Several other medical colleges regularly receive payments with a 2-3 months of delay, causing financial distress, mental agony, and professional demotivation, alleged the doctors.
"Senior residents, many of whom are repaying educational loans, have their EMIs defaulting, credit scores crashing, and personal lives in turmoil. They are being pushed into depression, burnout, and emotional collapse—all while continuing to provide patient care with full commitment. This is not just financial negligence; it is institutional cruelty. The backbone of medical education is being deliberately fractured by this continued indifference," stated the letter.
Highlighting the issue of stipend disparity, the association pointed out that the senior residents working in BMC peripheral hospitals are paid Rs 30,000- Rs 40,000 less than their counterparts in DMER and GMC setups- for the same qualifications, responsibilities, and workload.
"This unequal and humiliating disparity is not just a financial injustice, it is a systemic insult to hardworking specialists serving in some of the most under-resourced and high-volume hospitals of Mumbai. How does the government justify such a discriminatory pay structure for doctors serving in the same state under the same designation?" the doctors questioned, adding that this has resulted in destroyed morale, collapsed retention, and severely compromised patient care.
Further, the doctors claimed that there are still no official government guidelines for the grant of leave to senior resident doctors in Maharashtra. "In the last two years, we have witnessed a tragic rise in resident doctor suicides across India—many due to mental health struggles, overwork, and lack of institutional support. We have had a recent suicide of a senior resident doctor in one of the premier institutions in Mumbai. By denying basic leaves, the government is pushing its doctors towards physical burnout and mental breakdown. This is not just unethical—it is a human rights violation," MSRDA mentioned in the letter.
"Let it be absolutely clear: Ignoring these critical issues is equivalent to neglecting the caregivers of society and is directly responsible for the decline in patient care and medical education quality in the state," it added.
The association has demanded 20 special leaves, 12 casual leaves annually for every senior residents working in government and BMC institutes.
Warning to launch a state-wide agitation, the association added in the letter, "If urgent action is not initiated on these fronts immediately, then the association will have no choice but to launch a state-wide agitation. This letter is our final and firm call for justice. The time for silence is over."
Speaking to Medical Dialogues, the President of MSRDA, Dr. Abhijit Helge, said, "The Government should be sensitive towards the resident doctors. They should pay the stipend on time, sort out the leave issues. Also, the residents at BMC peripheral hospitals should be paid equally to those at State hospitals."
